From God’s perspective, there is no greater event in human history than the death of Jesus Christ. This is why God accompanied it with tremendous miracles: dismantling the entire Old Testament system by renting the temple veil to welcome all sinners; shaking the earth and splitting rocks to announce New Covenant blessings; and opening tombs to raise saints, declaring Christ as the Mediator of the New Covenant and proving that mankind has immortality through Him.
When these events occur, they demand attention, regardless of how carelessly a person has lived. So far, we have seen God’s reaction to the death of Jesus. In the following passage, Matthew gives us the human responses to Christ’s death and these three miracles.
Having preached for several weeks on the trial, crucifixion, and death of Christ, I ask: what is your reaction? In today’s passage, we see four reactions from the world, and every one of us falls into one of these categories: Saving Faith, Shallow Sorrow, Unshakable Loyalty, or Selfish Fear.
1. Saving Faith: The Centurion’s Confession
We see saving faith in the amazing confession of the Roman centurion:
“So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!'” (Matthew 27:54)
To understand this amazing transformation, we must ask: Who was this man? What had he seen? And what exactly did he mean by his words?
Who was this man? A centurion was a Roman military officer in charge of 100 soldiers. To reach this rank, one had to be a man of great loyalty and character. Though we don’t know his name, we know his assignment: he and his men were charged with ensuring the entire process—from the arrest to the crucifixion—was carried out without riots. To him, Jesus likely appeared to be just another religious fanatic or a madman.
Most probably, this centurion was there from the very beginning. He would have been part of the detachment that went to Gethsemane. He may have been among the troops who fell backward when Jesus said, “I am He,” and he would have seen Jesus heal the ear of the High Priest’s servant. These events likely began to work in his heart.
As the officer in charge, he oversaw the religious trials where no consistent witness could be found. He heard the High Priest ask, “Are you the Son of God?” and heard Jesus respond, “It is as you say.” He likely carried the message from Pilate’s wife, who warned, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man.” All these phrases—”Son of God” and “righteous man”—were seeds being sown in his soul.
What did he see? Mark 15:39 tells us that the manner of Jesus’ death profoundly impacted him:
“So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, ‘Truly this Man was the Son of God!'”
He watched Jesus die with complete control, dismissing His own spirit after shouting, “It is finished!” He saw the darkened heavens and felt the earthquake. He saw the very rocks split. The entire creation was bearing witness to the divinity of the man on the central cross.
What did he say? The centurion made two distinct statements. According to Luke 23:47, his initial reaction was: “Certainly this was a righteous Man!” Then, as the earthquake took hold, his confession deepened in Matthew: “Truly this was the Son of God!”
- His Character: By calling Him a “righteous man,” the centurion testified to Jesus’ character. Having overseen thousands of crucifixions, he knew that the pressure of the cross usually brings out the “gutter” in a man—bitterness, curses, and rage. But here was a man who refused the numbing wine, willingly stretched out His hands, and prayed for His murderers: “Father, forgive them.” The centurion was 100% sure: Jesus was not just innocent of a crime; He was positively and perfectly righteous.
- His Identity: By calling Him the “Son of God,” the centurion moved beyond a moral judgment to a spiritual one. He recognized that Jesus was no ordinary man.
Think of what this confession implies. There was so much risk and danger for a Roman representative; Jewish leaders and others could report back to Pilate that this man was publicly declaring Jesus a “righteous man.” By doing so, he was asserting that what the Jewish leaders and the Roman government had done was the greatest injustice—giving the worst possible punishment to a righteous man. He didn’t care about the consequences. His conscience screamed, and he could not control it; he shouted that this was truly a righteous man. If the Sanhedrin was upset, let them be. If the governor was upset, let it be. If a report went to Caesar and he lost his job, he didn’t care. This was the truth; facts are facts. He is truly a righteous man.
Secondly, in Matthew, we see him confess that Jesus truly is the Son of God. To say He is a “righteous man” speaks of His character, but to say He is “God’s Son” points to His unique identity as being something more than a mere man.
I believe this is a confession of saving faith. Think of it: this comes in the midst of the gory, shameful death of Christ. Verse 54 says, “They feared greatly.” Fear is a strong word. He felt sheer terror, a state of panic that causes the heart to beat rapidly and sweat to pour out. The circumstances imply that this was not simply human fear; it was beyond that.
It was not just being afraid of an earthquake or the darkness. This was spiritual awe and fear—a reverential terror. This man was so impacted by the divine behavior of Jesus in the midst of unspeakable suffering, followed by all these amazing miraculous phenomena, that it penetrated deep into his heart and opened his eyes to see the spiritual reality of who Jesus is.
His group had been committing mockery and crucifixion without any conscience, but the darkness and the earthquake shook them. Guilt creates fear. He knew they had done something terrible, and the whole universe was convulsing in response. If the fear was only human, he would have cried for help or run away. But it was awe in the sense that men reserve awe for a deity.
It is the reverential fear that comes to one who knows they may be under the judgment of God. This fear is the result of a true sense of sin—the realization that they had committed a horrible crime. It arose from an awareness of their guilt in what they had done to this divine person. This fear led him to a step of faith, and that faith led to a great confession: “Truly, this was God’s Son.”
First, the fear indicated the sin. Then, the confession indicated the salvation. He used the word “truly” to make it very clear that he had no doubt or confusion in his mind. He wasn’t saying, “Maybe it’s the Son of God”; he was saying without hesitation, “I know now 100% that this was truly God’s Son.”
How can we say for sure that this is saving faith? By comparing Scripture. The only way anyone can ever know Christ is the Son of God is by God revealing it to them through the Holy Spirit. In Matthew 16, Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” and Jesus replied, “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father in heaven has.” That is a sovereignly revealed truth. In 1 Corinthians 12, it says, “No man can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ but by the Holy Spirit.”
The Spirit of God took this open-hearted centurion and used the work of Christ on the cross to open his eyes to this great truth. His confession shows God saving him. If the thief on the cross could receive a guarantee of eternal salvation simply by saying, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom,” certainly this man could be saved with this kind of faith. I believe he was redeemed at the foot of the cross. Lenski said, “This Gentile, called Longinus in tradition, comes to faith beneath the dead Savior’s cross.”
So, we see a beautiful, saving reaction. In verse 54, perhaps along with the centurion, the soldiers were also saved, for Matthew says “they” all said, “Truly this is the Son of God.” They were Romans and Gentiles who did not know the Scriptures that were being fulfilled, yet they believed as the firstfruits of the Gospel going to the Gentiles, while most of the Jews rejected Him. This is the right reaction and the greatest confession made at the most difficult time.
But not everyone believes; there are other reactions to the cross. Let us look at the second response: Shallow, temporary sorrow.
There is a crowd mentioned in verse 55. This was a mixed crowd with different responses. We see the sorrow of one group in Luke 23:48: “And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts and returned.”
Luke says this crowd came to see the “sight.” Most of them were curiosity seekers. When we see an accident, the more horrific it is, the larger the crowd. It was the same here. When these curiosity seekers saw the events of the cross, they were filled with sorrow. They saw the same things the centurion saw—the darkness, the earthquake, the splitting rocks, the opening graves. They knew these things could not be explained humanly. Perhaps they even heard the centurion say that Jesus was a righteous man and the Son of God.
The centurion, as a Roman, knew nothing about Jesus before this, but this crowd knew Christ’s ministry. He had banished disease from Palestine, and they were so attracted by His great teachings that they had welcomed Him into Jerusalem with songs on Monday. As Jews, they knew the meaning of an earthquake as a sign of God’s covenant and judgment. They realized what horror they had committed in their blindness. They felt guilty, and that is reflected in their body language: they beat their breasts.
Beating the breast is a physical expression of sorrow, terror, remorse, and guilt. They began to pound on their chests uncontrollably, crying, “Woe is us!” They were overwhelmed by a sense of responsibility. The conduct of Jesus, His obvious innocence, and His claim to be the Son of God—all validated by miracles and His death—drew them to a place of overwhelming guilt and despair.
And it still goes on today. There are people who hear about the cross—a sermon about the cross, like the one you have been hearing—and they understand that Jesus is there because of their sins; He is bearing their sins. They feel bad about that. They feel sad about that. The cross can cause overwhelmingly penetrating sorrow, even to an unbelieving heart.
If the mere preaching of the horror of the cross fills us with deep sorrow, imagine if you were there, knowing He is innocent, as the earth shakes around you. Imagine an overwhelming terror gripping your heart, telling you that you have perhaps violated a holy God. You are a sinner; fear grips you, and sorrow fills you.
I call this superficial, temporary sorrow because any sorrow about Christ’s cross that does not lead to repentance and faith, like that of the centurion, is superficial and can never save anyone. Look at what it says: they beat their breasts, but what did they do next? Did they confess their sins? Did they confess their faith like the centurion and fall at the feet of Christ? No, they returned. They went back to where they came from; they went home. They saw, they felt sad, and they went home. That word “return” speaks volumes. There was no salvation, just superficial sorrow.
What happens to many of you? You hear the message of the cross for weeks, feel conviction, and perhaps even sorrow. You become very sentimental, even shedding tears. There is an anxiety in your heart; your heart begins to beat faster, and sweat breaks out on your forehead. You know it is because of your sins that He died. You realize you are a sinner and that you have rejected Christ. You realize that if you continue like this, your life is on the way to hell. Sometimes God, like the shaking earth, shakes your soul and tells you that you are going to face a terrible judgment if you don’t repent and believe today. You feel that in the message; you feel sorrow and the urge to beat your breast. But what do you do? You don’t repent or come to Christ then and there. You don’t confess like the centurion with determined faith. You just go home, feeling sentimental, superficial, temporary sorrow.
Then you go home, and what happens? Satan takes away the seed, like the “wayside heart.” The impression wears off. You feel the effect for a few minutes, but once you are home, everything seems so normal and comfortable. Slowly, the message fades from your mind. The effect reduces, the sorrow diminishes, and it is forgotten. It passes. You were so tense coming to church, and you wanted to keep thinking deeply about that message because it might break your heart and lead to repentance—so you divert your mind. You turn on the TV, eat chips and popcorn, and watch the news, a match, or a movie. All that sorrow is gone.
It is gone. Back to life as usual. That is what these people did: shallow sorrow and conviction. They felt sad. They felt sentimental and sorry for Christ’s suffering. They even felt guilty. But it passed. After all, at 3:00, the light came back and there weren’t any more aftershocks. Everything went back to normal. It passed. That is the second kind of reaction to the message of the cross.
The Response of Believers
Now let us see the third reaction, back in Matthew 27. There is a third group in this mixed crowd, and this is so beautiful. The third response—by the way, the first two (the centurion and the breast-beating crowd) were unbelievers; the final two are characteristics of believers. The centurion, though an unbeliever, was saved, while the crowd was not. But these next two groups are both believers.
The third response is unshakable love and loyalty to Christ, whatever may happen. This is characteristic of these women.
55. And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar.
The cross is on the mountain, the soldiers are near, the religious leaders are there, and a little further back, these women are standing. They are not very far; they can see and hear everything. According to John, they became more and more courageous, moving closer and closer to the cross as things happened. Eventually, they collected around the foot of the cross itself after His death. Perhaps they stood far off initially so as not to intensify Jesus’ shame; a group of women standing nearby as He hung there naked might have shamed Him more. So they stood back, beholding. We may well imagine how it cut them to the heart to see Him in this torment, and what floods of tears it fetched from their eyes.
Here are these women. They followed Jesus, hoping He was the Messiah, and though their hopes were crushed and their dreams were dead, their love and loyalty for Him could never be shaken or quenched—even when He was dead. They had been watching their Master die, yet their loyalties remained deep. Their hearts were so filled with love and sympathy that they did not flee or run. They had no fear of the Jews. They had no fear of the Romans. Nothing could overpower their love for Christ.
Generally, women have a greater sense of loyalty than men. Especially godly women have a capacity for incredible loyalty and sympathy that men often lack. We see this in the beauty of these women. In that loyalty, they are fearless. They do not fear being identified with the mocked and crucified Christ, even in the society in which they must exist. Their sympathy is magnificent. Their courage is beautiful.
Who are they? Firstly, verse 55 says “many women,” not just a few. Secondly, they followed Jesus from Galilee. Not only the disciples followed Him, but these women, though they didn’t receive a direct calling like the disciples, followed Him from Galilee out of great love and a desire to hear Him preach throughout every city and village. Remember, it was a very long journey—through Perea, Jericho, and many villages—over a hundred miles. They followed Him everywhere, and they resolved not to forsake Him even now that He was dead. Their loyalty was so deep that, if required, they would have followed Him into death. They did not go away from the cross; on Sunday, they were the first to come to the tomb, and they were part of the praying group in the upper room when the Holy Spirit fell at Pentecost. They followed Christ with a death grip; nothing could separate them from Him.
Verse 55 says they “ministered” to Him. They ministered—diakoneō—the word from which we get “deacon.” Originally, the word had to do with waiting on tables. These women gave out of their possessions; they gave money, provided meals, garments, and resources. They attended to the disciples and the Savior throughout their Galilean ministry. It was a long journey, and they were not just following; they were performing a very useful ministry of hospitality and financial help. They were a marvelous group. Their service began in Galilee and continued at the foot of the cross and through the New Testament church—loyal, sympathetic, unwavering, and faithful. They were attracted to Jesus like a magnet; He drew them, and they stuck. Even when He was dead on the cross and everyone else had gone, they did not leave.
I suppose because of that marvelous character, the Holy Spirit honored them by recording their names for all ages to read. Think of it: the names of the chief priests and the Roman soldiers aren’t recorded, but these women’s names are.
We meet a few of them in verse 56. First, Mary Magdalene. She was once a tormented soul with seven demons, but Christ, by His grace, made her a marvelous woman of grace by casting them out and saving her. Once Christ healed her, she was loyal until her death. She followed Him wherever He went. Her name, Mary Magdalene, also shows her loyalty. “Magdalene” means she was from the town of Magdala. The reason she is called that is likely because she had no husband and no children. Usually, the Bible identifies women as “the wife of” or “the mother of,” as it does with the other two. After her salvation, Christ was her entire world. She did not marry or have children; Christ was her all. Like a faithful dog, she followed Him everywhere. Though her heart was shattered to see her Beloved die, she stood there until the end. She didn’t go home until He was buried, and even then, she was the first to run to the tomb on Sunday morning. When she didn’t find His body, she sat there weeping inconsolably. Christ honored her for all ages by appearing to her first after His resurrection. It is a beautiful scene: she is filled with sorrow, and Christ stands next to her, but she doesn’t realize it, thinking He is the gardener. He just calls her name, “Mary,” and that is all it takes. She screamed “Rabboni” and hugged His feet. He sent her to tell the apostles; she was like the “apostle to the apostles,” announcing that Christ had risen.
The second woman is Mary the mother of James and Joses. She is the mother of James the Less, an apostle. The third is known only as the mother of Zebedee’s children (James and John), whom the Gospel of John identifies as Salome. One woman is known by her town, one by her children, and one by her husband. The Lord includes all categories of women. They were known for great loyalty, and God honored them by making them special witnesses of His death and resurrection. In the “hall of fame” at the cross, Mary Magdalene heads the list.
The Response of Selfish Fear
Final point: selfish fear. You may ask, “Pastor, where are the verses?” This section is over, and these women are the last mentioned. It isn’t in any verse. But it speaks so loudly that I must include it. The great question is: where are the men? Where are the great apostles? Where are the men who would turn the world upside down—the men who said they would die with Him? Peter, where are you? John and James, who wanted to sit at His right and left and said they were ready to drink the cup, where are you? Matthew, Philip, Andrew, Thomas—where are you? These men walked with Christ for three years, received His blessings, and were taught more than anyone. They were told not to fear men. Yet, they are not mentioned because they were not there. That says a lot. Somewhere in the white spaces between verse 56 and 57, you can put this point: they represent the reaction of selfish fear.
I’ll tell you where they were. They followed Christ when all was going well, but in Matthew 26:56, when Christ was arrested, it says, “Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.” Peter wept bitterly, but did he come back to the cross? No. We know only John eventually returned. What happened to the others? They were hiding in selfish fear. They enjoyed Christ’s teaching and did ministry in His name during the smooth times, but when trouble and persecution came, they hid. You and I can be such disciples, but what a shameful reaction to what Christ has done for us.
Applications
So, we see these four reactions to the death of Christ and the events around the cross. What do we learn from them? The four reactions are: Saving Faith, Shallow Sorrow, Unshakable Loyalty, and Selfish Fear.
To those of you who have still not come to Christ: do you see yourself in that mixed crowd? Like the curiosity seekers, you come every week—perhaps because your parents bring you, or out of habit—and you have heard the cross preached for many weeks. What is your reaction? Is it merely a shallow sorrow?
1. Moving Beyond Shallow Sorrow
In that mixed crowd, people saw the cross and felt sorrow for their sins, but they came halfway and stopped. Let me tell you: though it is shallow, reaching this stage is at least a beginning. It is the first step toward salvation. True salvation always begins with a sorrow for sin that leads to repentance.
It is only when careless sinners begin to be gripped, arrested, and grieved by the realities of Golgotha that there is any hope for their salvation. There is more hope for those who are moved to sorrow than for those who are so hardened in heart that they go home without a single prick in their conscience after hearing what the Son of God endured.
Have you felt any sorrow on this mountain looking at the suffering Christ? Billions of sinners have hearts as hard as rocks; even the story of the cross creates no emotion. Yet, they will be so emotional over silly things—movie stories or serials can bring them to tears—but the story of God dying for their sins never touches them. As long as you are indifferent toward the cross, you can never be saved. Children, you can hear about His death and even memorize it, but it will do nothing until it creates sorrow for your specific sins: your pride, your lying, and your disobedience.
What has your visit to Golgotha done in your deepest heart? When you hear the innocent Son of God suffering and realize it was your real sins that gave Him such pain, has it made you bend and beat your breast, saying, “It is my sin that crucified Him”?
Feeling sorry is a starting point, but it is not enough. You can go to hell feeling sorry for the cross, just as Judas did. Those in hell are beating their breasts for their sins every day. If you go home and keep doing whatever you were doing without any change, your life will never transform because superficial sorrow cannot save you.
Do not stop at sentimentality. Godly sorrow must lead to repentance. On the day of Pentecost, Peter told those who were pricked in their hearts that they must repent—they must undergo a change of mind and heart. Turn from sin to God through Jesus Christ. Confess, like the centurion, that Jesus is the Son of God and submit to His claims.
2. The Lesson of Saving Faith
Learn from the saving faith of the centurion. The cross can save even the most hardened sinner. Do you realize how marvelous God’s grace is? It flows like a river from the cross to the worst of people. If you want to understand the love of God, see how Jesus redeemed the very men who crucified Him.
These were the men who nailed Him to the wood, pressed thorns into His brow, slapped Him, and spat on Him. They were the men who gambled for His clothes with total indifference. Yet, Jesus loved and redeemed them. When He prayed, “Father, forgive them,” that prayer was answered in the very moment of His death. It is an astounding reality: the Holy Spirit demonstrates grace by redeeming the crucifiers of the Son of God.
This should encourage any sinner here today. If those hardened soldiers could be saved, so can you. When someone says, “I am too evil; the Lord will never forgive me,” look at the centurion. God won the hearts of the soldiers who took His life before the sun even went down. That is the power of the cross.
3. The Lesson of Loyalty
As believers, learn from the loyalty of the women. Why does the Holy Spirit conclude the scene of the cross with them? These women teach us the identity of a true follower. True followers are unshakably loyal to Christ, regardless of who else joins or leaves. They followed Him from Galilee to Jerusalem—over a hundred miles—and resolved not to forsake Him even in death.
Secondly, they did not follow as idle spectators; they served Him. The word used for their ministry is diakoneō, from which we get “deacon.” They provided meals, finances, and hospitality. They understood that to be a disciple is to be a servant. Are you a true disciple? Does your loyalty hold firm during a crisis? Are you serving Christ in whatever capacity you can?
4. Overcoming Selfish Fear
Finally, consider the response of selfish fear. It is pathetic that the twelve apostles—the men who said they would die with Him—were not there. Peter, Matthew, Thomas—where were they? They were hiding. They enjoyed His teaching during the smooth times, but when persecution came, they fled to save their own reputations and careers.
We often claim to be believers because we want the blessings and the glory, but we are slow to take up the cross or take a risk for Christ. If we find ourselves hiding in selfish fear, let the scene of the cross change us today.
Praise God that the disciples did not stay fearful. After Pentecost, they became as bold as lions and died as martyrs. The grace of God can alter any man’s language from blasphemy to confession.
The Honor of Women in Ministry
Notice the honorable mention made of these women. When the “mighty” men failed, the faith of these women stood upright. Throughout the New Testament, we see God conferring great benefits on the Church through women. While the Old Testament often shows woman’s transgression bringing death, the New Testament shows Jesus born of a woman and women serving as the primary witnesses to His resurrection. This teaches us that women have a vital, important place in the Church of Christ. There is a great work they can do for God’s glory. Happy is the congregation where women know this and act upon it!